


Misfits

by amiyade



Series: Moments [4]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Aria is mostly amused, Epic Friendship, Gen, Mass Effect 3: Citadel, One Shot, Shepard is spending way too much time in the Armax Arsenal Arena, background mshenko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 14:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13343034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amiyade/pseuds/amiyade
Summary: On an impulse Shepard invites Aria to a friendly lunch, to his surprise she accepts it.





	Misfits

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't contain my love for Aria any longer. The theme song is from [Shinedown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEpNF35TSk) again.

Shepard checked his onmi-tool as he climbed the stairs to the common area of the combat simulator. No new messages; an uncommon but welcomed scenario. Kaidan was still out doing his business on the Citadel, or at least he hadn’t left a message telling him otherwise.

Shepard took a quick look at the clock. He had time for another round, maybe two, before he needed to return to the apartment for the final preparations. Glyph should have already arranged every delivery. A quick shower was all he needed before the others showed up. Well, except if Kaidan showed up earlier, but that was an unknown factor right now. His musing was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Aren’t you supposed to fight a war?”

Shepard turned toward the voice to see Aria T’Loak sitting by a table with a drink in her hand.

“Aren’t you supposed to be rebuilding Omega?” He countered walking toward her.

Aria shrugged and tossed back the last of her drink in one go. “I am. I had some last minute meetings before I head back” she looked at him, daring him to question her again. Shepard had to fight a grin. “What’s your excuse?” She asked nodding toward the arena.

“This is for charity, they are boosting morale with my matches” Shepard crossed his arms over his chest, he didn’t mean to sound so defensive.

“Yes, I’m sure they do” Aria smirked at him. “I caught the last one. It was embarrassing to watch how you let that geth hunter sneak up on you” even with the mocking tone she sounded amused. The thought crossed Shepard’s mind that this might be the first time he saw her like this. She looked like she was actually having fun.

“I still won the match” Shepard pointed out. “And who said you can’t have fun while working?” he shrugged, then a thought formed in his head. “Speaking of which: how about a farewell match, for old times’ sake?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Aria looked away sounding indifferent, but he saw the corner of her mouth twitch.

“We made a pretty good team on Omega.”

“Ah yes, right up until you let us almost die at the reactor, so you could play hero” her voice was conversational, but Shepard could hear a cold edge in it too. Apparently that was still a sore spot, even after everything.

“I had to try” he said, his voice serious. “There were too many lives at stake. I had faith that you would hold out long enough.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “Nyreen approved of it.”

“Yes” Aria said with a distant look in her eyes. “Of course she did.”

“So… you in?”

Aria let out a mocking laugh and leveled him with a scolding look. “Come on Shepard. I don’t see why you’d waste my time or your own. This place is hardly a challenge any more for either of us.”

“Did you try the elite challenge? Enhanced enemy shields, no ammo crates, no medi-gel?”

Aria was still looking out toward the exit, but Shepard could see she was considering it. After a few silent moments she stood up with a sigh.

“I guess I can humor you for a round” she still sounded bored, but Shepard could see the glint in her eyes that he sometimes saw in the mirror before a fight. Shepard grinned at her and gestured toward the stairs.

“Ladies first.”

Aria really must have been in a good mood, because she just rolled her eyes, but did not comment. She held up her hand with a “Stay here” comment and that was the moment Shepard noticed a human standing not far from them, most likely a bodyguard. The man nodded in acknowledgement, then he nodded to Shepard in greeting and went back to scanning the crowd. Shepard wondered shortly if there were more of them among the people, but decided it wasn’t his business and followed Aria.

They walked down to make the set-up and Shepard couldn’t help but glance at the asari next to him from time to time. She had her usual regal expression on her face, but he could see in the way she held herself that she was itching for a good fight. They agreed on almost all of the limitations the simulator would offer and on Cerberus as enemies. The mere mention of Cerberus brought a frown to Aria’s face. Shepard knew Aria held a deep hatred for Cerberus even before they went to take back Omega. He didn’t think that hate could deepen any more, but it actually did after what happened to Nyreen. Apparently not even choking Petrovsky to death could satisfy her anger. Shepard didn’t blame her.

 _This is going to be interesting,_ Shepard thought.

And he was right. As soon as the match started Aria threw herself into the battle with the same fierceness he saw on Omega. She was a force of nature, it certainly was a sight to behold. Shepard wondered how often she could let herself loose like that. He himself could sit around for a time, but not for long before he was aching for action. How was it for Aria? She certainly had her fair share of fights in her life; was she content now with sitting around on her throne or would she prefer more action?

“Look alive, Shepard!” Aria’s voice cut through his musings again and he focused on the match, taking out a trooper with a headshot who was closing on Aria.

They had more than a few close calls, but they still won the match and even Aria was breathing heavier at the end. Shepard felt like he might have overstrained himself with this one, but the satisfied smile on Aria’s face made it worth it.

“I admit this was… refreshing” Aria said, rolling out her shoulders as they walked out of the simulator. Her bodyguard trailed after them a few steps behind. Shepard eyed the guy for a moment, before he turned to Aria and grinned at her.

“So, how about lunch? I’ll buy.”

On any other occasion he’d say it was a bold question, but he still felt the lingering effects of the adrenalin so he decided he’d risk it. They weren’t exactly friends, Aria would surely deny it, and even Shepard wasn’t sure how to define their relationship. But considering the events of last month, how he put everything else aside to help her reclaim Omega, how she followed his orders on the battlefield like the best soldiers; it must count for something. Not to mention that awkward occasion in Purgatory, when he woke up from a drunken haze next to Aria on the couch… Yeah, he could be bold.

Aria eyed him for a moment.

“I don’t need more of the kind of publicity that comes with your presence” she stated, but that wasn’t a no.

“Take out?” Shepard tried again and Aria looked at him for another few moments with a curious expression. Was she suspecting some ulterior motive or was she simply checking her schedule mentally? Shepard couldn’t decide.

“I place the order then” she said eventually, already doing so on her omni-tool.

Shepard’s omni-tool lit up not long after for the transaction confirmation. He paid for the order and frowned at the asari.

“How do you even known about the apartment?”

“Shepard, please” Aria rolled her eyes and started to walk toward the exit. Shepard just shook his head, of course she knew about it.

She seemed to know exactly where they were going, so Shepard didn’t try to lead. The bodyguard tailed after them, then stopped on the corridor leading to the apartment. He produced a datapad from somewhere and looked like he had every right to be there.

Aria walked through the apartment’s door like she owned the place; Shepard thought that couldn’t be helped, if you were the boss for centuries. Aria took a quick look around before she walked to the couch, getting comfortable right away.

“This place is _begging_ for an assault” she stated as she inspected the painting over the fireplace.

“I admit, the windows could use a reinforced kinetic barrier, but who would dare to attack Commander Shepard?” Shepard said with a grin as he sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the coffee table.

“I have an actual list of people planning to do just that” Aria said in an informative tone as she rested her hands on her stomach. Shepard narrowed his eyes on her, trying to decide if she was serious. But considering that he never heard her tell a joke that wasn’t insulting, chances were good it was actually true.

“What would that list cost me?” Shepard asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

Aria waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s no real importance right now; the Reapers are shifting everyone’s priorities. And I think you have enough on your plate with planning to attack the Cerberus HQ.”

The statement left Shepard dumbfounded, but before he could say anything Glyph announced that the food had arrived. Aria shot him an expectant look, so Shepard stood up and walked to the door, fighting the urge to shake his head again. He blinked in surprise as he saw a salarian standing at the door. He looked more like an Eclipse merc, than a delivery man.

“Enjoy your meal” the salarian said handing a big box to Shepard. His eyes darted to Aria’s form on the couch before he turned away with a smile and left. Shepard eyed the M-6 Carnifex at his side; the human bodyguard was still lingering in the corridor not even looking at the salarian. Was he also one of Aria’s men? Shepard just shook his head. Probably he didn’t want to know.

“How do you know about our attack plan against Cerberus?” Shepard asked with a suspicious look, picking up the conversation again as he placed the box on the coffee table. Aria just rolled her eyes again.

“You are being especially obtuse today, Shepard. If you plan to continue in this regard at least open up the rum.”

The Commander frowned at her, but opened the box and there was indeed a bottle. He took it out and stepped into the kitchen to get a pair of glasses, while Aria started to pack out the food.

“Apparently you know a lot of things, you didn’t happen to know the location of the Cerberus HQ, did you?” Shepard asked when he returned with the glasses and cutleries.

“If I’d known that, there would be no Cerberus headquarters any more. Believe me, the Illusive Man did more than enough in the recent years to be high on my shitlist.”

“Did you have any run-ins with Cerberus before they invaded Omega?” Shepard poured some rum into the glasses, curiously eyeing the asari.

“A few, but they knew better than to cause too much trouble on Omega.” Aria accepted the glass from Shepard and took a sip. “But they started to pop up more and more often, especially after you left their ranks and my men started dying whenever they did. My daughter included.”

Shepard froze, his glass halfway to his mouth and he stared at the asari, who was busying herself with opening up every small paper box and inspecting their content before she choose one. She grabbed a fork and leaned back on the couch with a blank look.

“I’m sorry” Shepard offered, then he decided to chance the question: “What happened?”

“I don’t know exactly. Cerberus showed up to collect one of their run-aways and Liselle ended up dead.”

There was more to it, but the look on her face told Shepard he would not get anything else out of her.

“Maybe I can help finding out something” Shepard added in a careful tone and Aria let out a humorless laugh.

“Believe me Shepard, I tried everything I could think of, but apparently, the only ones who know what happened are either dead or out of even my reach. But knowing your methods there won’t be much left of Cerberus when you are done. That will have to do” she picked up her glass and took a drink from her rum staring into nothingness and Shepard focused his attention on the food giving Aria a moment. That was a really… personal admission, but he wasn’t about to point out the openness he just witnessed. Contrary to popular belief he wasn’t a complete jerk. When he looked up the asari was staring at him, all the previous emotions gone from her face.

“Also, please put a bullet in Kai Leng for me, if you have the chance. Things started to slip after he showed up. I should have killed him the first time he walked into Afterlife” her voice was as calm as usual, but Shepard could see some of her true feelings still linger in her eyes.

“That, I can do” he promised.

They ate in a compassionate silence; Shepard recognized some of the food, but for the most part he could only guess what it was, so he hoped for the best. He had a feeling that asking Aria would only result in belittling comments. Besides, it would have been really counterproductive from Aria to cause him harm now. Also everything tasted good.

After some time, Shepard tried to pick up the conversation again. First just trying to find out how much Aria knew about certain things and how she found it out, even if those inquiries only earned him sarcastic comments from the asari. At least she seemed more amused than annoyed. And sometimes the conversation took unexpected turns.

“What I hate about longevity is when evolution screws up your favorite food.”

They were mostly done with the food and Aria was now leaning back on the couch with her drink in her hand, looking comfortable.

Shepard frowned at her. “You have to elaborate on that, because I’m not sure I follow.”

“There was a type of fish you could find only on one planet in the Nubian Expanse, relatively easy to catch and tastes wonderful with the right seasoning. But the colonization of the planet caused climate change, forcing the fish into a new habitat, where they started to eat some algae and become poisonous to a lot of species. The asari among them.”

“That’s really… unfortunate” Shepard did his best to sound sympathizing, but most likely failed as Aria shot him a look. “Okay, I have to ask: how old are you exactly?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know” Aria smirked at him, pouring the last of the rum into her glass.

“I still haven’t earned to know that?” Shepard asked, raising his eyebrows. He was half joking, since he knew he won’t get a straight answer from her.

“You know a lot more about me than most people as it is. Any more knowledge in one place might prove to be bad for one’s health” her voice was light, almost teasing, but Shepard could hear a very real threat in it too.

“I guess, I’ll have to wonder then” Shepard said with a small pout. Aria answered him with a smug smile.

“You’ll live” she commented, drowning the last of her rum.

The door opened at that moment and Shepard turned to see Kaidan walk in the apartment.

“Shepard, I thought the party would start at…” he trailed off as he looked over the table and he stopped in his tracks when Aria turned toward him. Shepard saw Kaidan’s eyebrows rise in surprise, then he looked at Shepard with a questioning look. And Shepard was hit with the weirdness of the situation. Talking business in Purgatory was one thing, having Aria T’Loak in your apartment for lunch was something else entirely.

“Kaidan, if I’d known you were coming I’d have saved some for you” Shepard said, trying to ignore the sudden tension in the room. His voice seemed to shake up the Major and he started to walk again, stopping a few feet away from them.

“I’m good” he kept his eyes on the asari as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Shepard looked between them, then cleared his throat. “Aria, this is—“

“Major Kaidan Alenko, the _second_ human Spectre” Aria’s voice held an edge that was on the border of being mocking. It reminded Shepard of how she talked to him when they first met. Apparently whatever camaraderie was between them didn’t include Shepard’s crew. Well, that shouldn’t be a surprise, Aria herself told him as much.

“Aria T’Loak, the _reinstated_ Pirate Queen of Omega” Kaidan said it like it was an accusation and Shepard was about to intervene when Aria stood with a single fluid motion. Kaidan didn’t even flinch as they stared at each other. Something in her posture made Shepard rise too, but she just smirked at him.

“As entertaining as all this is, I have places to be” and she turned and headed for the door.

“You are welcome to join us for the party” Shepard ignored the scandalized look Kaidan shot him. Aria stopped, looking back over her shoulder.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Shepard” she sounded insulted, but Shepard decided he would push his luck a bit more.

“Wrex is coming over too.”

Aria turned toward him just so she could level him with an empty look, arms crossing over her chest.

“And the reason I should care about that is…?” she asked in an indifferent voice. Shepard waited for a few moments, but she didn’t take the bait, so he just shrugged. “Thought as much.” Aria dropped her arms and without another word walked out of the apartment.

After the door closed Kaidan turned toward him with a strange look on his face, caught between suspicion and surprise.

“Why were you having lunch with Aria T’Loak?”

“It was just a friendly visit” Shepard didn’t mean to sound defensive. Kaidan frowned at him.

“Since when are you friends with Aria T’Loak?” Now he sounded amused even if still suspicious and Shepard had no idea how to explain it. He opened his mouth, then closed it as he wasn’t sure how to reply. After a few silent moments Kaidan just shook his head.

“You know what, I’ll ask again after a few drinks. Come on, let’s clean this up before the others arrive and start asking questions” he smiled at Shepard and stepped to the coffee table. Shepard was hit again with the feeling of how lucky he is to have Kaidan. Especially when he bent down to gather a handful of paper boxes from the small table. Shepard stepped behind him as Kaidan straightened and he embraced him, pushing their bodies together.

“It’s kind of a long story and I’m not sure how much I could tell you.”

“It’s okay, Shepard. You don’t own me any explanation. I know you attract people, few can resist your… charm” Kaidan said the last word with a little laugh, tilting his head back.

“My charm, huh?” Shepard also huffed out a laugh then he dragged his mouth up on Kaidan’s neck. He circled the area around his implant, knowing better than to touch it directly; he could still feel the static built up around it. It made Kaidan shudder.

“I know I can’t” Kaidan let out a sigh when Shepard bit down on his neck. He turned his head to capture Shepard’s lips. The angle was awkward, but neither complained. It took all of Shepard’s self-control to let Kaidan go.

“I’ll make sure to remember that” Shepard rounded him, picking up the rest of the boxes from the table and throwing a smirk at Kaidan.

“You do that” Kaidan laughed and headed for the kitchen. Shepard looked after him, appreciating the sight then with a sigh he turned his attention to the task before him. They had a party to throw.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
